Monthly Archives: September 2013

September 30, 2013 Springfield, Illinois

We have been looking forward to visiting Springfield for quite awhile because of the opportunity to see all the exhibits they have on Abraham Lincoln.  It has been obvious since we entered Illinois that they are proud of their association with our 16th President.

On the way to Springfield, as we traveled down historic Route 66, we continued to see farmers busy in the miles and miles of cornfields, preparing the fields for winter.  It is amazing to see all the cornfields in Illinois!  It certainly reinforces our knowledge that a farmer’s work is not easy, and is never done!  We love seeing all the windmills.

The windmill pictures were taken from the window of the RV.

The windmill pictures were taken from the window of the RV.

These are all windmills. not power lines.  It was hard to get a really good picture from the window going down the highway.  It was not unusual for us to see fields of windmills as far as the eye can see, other fields have none.

These are all windmills. not power lines. It was hard to get a really good picture from the window going down the highway. It was not unusual for us to see fields of windmills as far as the eye can see, other fields have none.

In our journey so far, many windmills were not spinning, which we didn't expect.  It was really cool to see them, especially if they were spinning.

In our journey so far, many windmills were not spinning, which we didn’t expect. It was really cool to see them, especially if they were spinning.

On our first night in Springfield we met an old friend of Bill’s for dinner.  Bill had not seen this friend in 32 years since the days when Bill lived in Los Angeles.  He gave Bill a CD of pictures taken from the early 80’s when a group went on backpacking adventures to several mountain peaks.  It certainly was fun seeing pictures of Bill from the early 1980’s!

The next day was mail day…..we picked up our mail at the Springfield post office.  It is always fun to get mail, now that we only get it about every 2 weeks!  Then we took a nice bike ride along the Interurban Bike Trail in Springfield, a great paved bike trail that wound through cornfields and pastures.

People in Springfield named our bike trail after Route 66 even though the official name is Interurban Bike Trail.

People in Springfield named our bike trail after Route 66 even though the official name is Interurban Bike Trail.

The beautiful Springfield bike trail through pastures and cornfields.  It was a joy to ride on....level and shady in places.  We were joined by grasshoppers and butterfly moths.

The beautiful Springfield bike trail through pastures and cornfields. It was a joy to ride on….level and shady in places. We were joined by grasshoppers and butterfly moths.

Wednesday was our day to visit all the Lincoln sites in Springfield.  Our first stop was the Lincoln Presidential Museum, which was open this day of federal government closures because it is owned by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.  This well done museum took us on a journey through Lincoln’s life beginning with a replica of the rustic log cabin in Indiana where he spent his boyhood years, (he was born in Kentucky), to his early adult years working as a storekeeper and his beginnings as a lawyer and young politician.  The journey continued through the 1860 election and his years in the White House, the horror of the Civil War and ending with his assassination at Ford Theater.  We saw two films in the museum theaters that told us some well known, and lesser known facts about Lincoln and his family.  There was also an exhibit on the Civil War.  The only thing we didn’t like about the museum is they restricted the use of photography except for the main exhibit hall where these pictures came from.  We saw many many things we wished we could have taken pictures of to share on the blog!

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The Lincoln family greeted us in the atrium of the museum...the only area of the museum we were allowed to take pictures.

The Lincoln family greeted us in the atrium of the museum…the only area of the museum we were allowed to take pictures.

Replica of the White House in the museum....through those doors were rooms detailing Lincoln's presidency...everything in the museum was very well done.

Replica of the White House in the museum….through those doors were rooms detailing Lincoln’s presidency…everything in the museum was very well done.

Replica of Indiana log home where Lincoln spent his young years...through the door of the cabin were rooms detailing his early years, pre presidency

Replica of Indiana log home where Lincoln spent his young years…through the door of the cabin were rooms detailing his early years, pre presidency

We briefly stopped by the Lincoln Presidential Library which is a “working” research library.  Historical documents there are kept under lock and key except when they are taken out and displayed at the museum.

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Next we proceeded to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which since it is maintained by the federal government, was closed today.  The area is a 4 block historic area that has been returned to its mid 19th century appearance.  In this area is the only house Lincoln owned, built in 1839 and bought by Lincoln in 1844.  It has been restored to look the way it did in the 1860’s.   The Lincoln family lived here for 17 years, and it was in the parlor of this house that representatives of the Republican National Convention in May, 1860, asked Lincoln to be the party’s presidential nominee.  Under normal circumstances there is a ranger available to give tours of the house, but not this day!  There is a self guided walking tour of the area, so we were still able to get into the area and take pictures.  The visitor’s center was closed and no ranger tour.

The only home Lincoln and his family owned.  We were not able to go inside because of the government shutdown.  The home was located in a historic 4 block area.

The only home Lincoln and his family owned. We were not able to go inside because of the government shutdown. The home was located in a historic 4 block area.

In another area of the city was Lincoln’s Tomb which was also open because it is a state historic site.  It is the location where Lincoln, his wife Mary, and three of their four children are buried.  The granite tomb was dedicated in1874 and is 117 feet tall.  Around the top of the tomb are statues portraying the infantry, cavalry, artillery, and navy.  The names of the 37 states were inscribed on shields with other state’s names added as they were created.  Metal from civil war cannons were used for the statues on the tomb.

Lincoln tomb

Lincoln tomb

It appears many people have been rubbing his nose

It appears many people have been rubbing his nose

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Lincoln's buried beneath this marker about 10 feet below the concrete

Lincoln’s buried beneath this marker about 10 feet below the concrete

Mrs. Lincoln is entombed behind this wall.

Mrs. Lincoln is entombed behind this wall.

On the grounds of the historic site are memorials also to Illinois veterans of the World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars.

Finally we also drove by the Illinois state capitol, built from 1868-1888 and at 405 feet at the top of the flagpole is one of the tallest building in central Illinois, and is taller than the U.S. Capitol in D.C.

Illinois state capitol

Illinois state capitol

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Lincoln in front of the capitol building

Lincoln in front of the capitol building

Stephen Douglas in front of the capitol building

Stephen Douglas in front of the capitol building

Our next stop was supposed to be a campground owned by the Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake, Illinois.  Due to the government shutdown the campground has been closed.  We are now re-planning our next stop.

September 28, 2013 East Peoria, IL

This was planned as a short 2 night stay on our way to Springfield.  We also chose this area because of the promise of some bike trails.  We found our camping choices somewhat limited here, but chose the Spindler Marina and Campground.  Unlike the state and county parks we have become accustomed to, this park was crowded with tight campsites.  Also unlike previous parks, there appears to be many campers who live here on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

We found a bike trail on Sunday and went for a nice ride.  The weather was perfect.  Peoria did not have any of the interesting and unexpected surprises that we found in Ottoawa.  They may have been there, but we were not there long enough to uncover them.

 

September 25, 2013 Oglesby, IL

After a great time visiting Chicago, we traveled to Starved Rock State Park, Illinois.  It is a lovely park and we were happy with our level site.  Since Labor Day, the campgrounds have been pretty deserted Monday thru Thursday, and this park was no exception.  The park lies along the Illinois River and is known for its fascinating sandstone rock formations.  There are 18 canyons in the park formed by glacial meltwater and stream erosion.  The waterfalls in the canyons are dry this time of year with the best time to see the waterfalls being in the spring during the end of winter thaw.  The area has been home to numerous Native American tribes.  The Park gets its name, Starved Rock, from a Native American legend.  In the 1760’s, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe was killed by a member of the Illiniwek tribe.  During the ensuing battles to avenge the killing, a band of Illiniwek under siege, sought refuge on the top of a 125 foot sandstone bluff.  The Ottawas surrounded the bluff and stayed there until the Illiniweks died of starvation, thus the name “Starving Rock”.  In 1673 French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette passed through here on their way to Illinois from Mississippi.  When the French claimed the region, including most of the Mississippi Valley, they built Fort Louis on top of Starved Rock during the winter of 1682-1683.

Chief Pontiac

Chief Pontiac

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Model of French Fort Louis in the Visitors Center

Model of French Fort Louis in the Visitors Center

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When we decided to come to this park we had no idea of the variety of fascinating things we would discover.  When driving to the park we noticed a sign for a Scout Museum.  Of course Eagle Scout Bill had to tour this museum.  It gave a fascinating history of the Boy and Girl Scouts, and also housed a Civil War exhibit and an exhibit on the history of Ottawa County.  The Scout Museum had a special geocache

We found these statues of Lincoln and Douglas while geocaching in an Ottawa city park.

We found these statues of Lincoln and Douglas while geocaching in an Ottawa city park. 

and of course we had to hunt that down.  We loved all the places the multi cache took us in the area.

 

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Inside of the Scout Museum, Ottawa, Illinois

Inside of the Scout Museum, Ottawa, Illinois

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This man created the boy and girl scout movements that we know today.

This man created the boy and girl scout movements that we know today.

William Dickson Boyce, who brought the Boy Scout movement to the United States.

William Dickson Boyce, who brought the Boy Scout movement to the United States.

Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton

Bill wore this a uniform like this in the 1960's.

Bill wore this a uniform like this in the 1960’s.

Badges honoring Boyce, founder of the Boy Scouts.

Badges honoring Boyce, founder of the Boy Scouts.

A memorial to William Dickson Boyce.  We found this strange because it was in a cemetery but appeared to be more like a memorial than a grave marker, even though his daughters and sons are buried nearby.

A memorial to William Dickson Boyce. We found this strange because it was in a cemetery but appeared to be more like a memorial than a grave marker, even though his daughters and sons are buried nearby.

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The second day we hiked up to Starved Rock and did some more geocaches of the area.  Starved Rock State Park has a lodge, and while geocaching in that area we discovered many trees that had been carved with eagles, Indians, and even a Boy Scout sign.

 

View of the dam on the Illinois River from the top of Starved Rock

View of the dam on the Illinois River from the top of Starved Rock

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Starved Rock

Starved Rock

PLEASE don't take my picture!

PLEASE don’t take my picture!

We had to climb MANY steps to get to the top of Starved Rock!

We had to climb MANY steps to get to the top of Starved Rock!

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More eagles winter in Starved Rock than anywhere else in the lower 48 states.

More eagles winter in Starved Rock than anywhere else in the lower 48 states.

This carving was dedicated to the Native American Indians.  It was done by Peter "Wolf" Toth who carved and donated statues in every state.  This donation is his 62nd carving.

This carving was dedicated to the Native American Indians. It was done by Peter “Wolf” Toth who carved and donated statues in every state. This donation is his 62nd carving.

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Our time here went by too quickly and soon it was time to move on.  We certainly did enjoy our time at Starved Rock State Park!

September 18, 2013 Zion, Illinois

We moved to Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois.  We have a nice level site with electricity but no water or sewer on site.  From our windows we have a nice view of Lake Michigan.  There are very few campers here so we practically have the campground to ourselves.  We heard they will fill up again on the weekend.  Our first night here we had two pretty severe thunderstorms that lasted all night and into the morning hours.  At one point we saw a big flash of light and we lost power.  The next morning Bill went out to inspect the electrical box and found the fuse had blown but the surge protector had protected the RV from electrical damage.  With a flip of the switch he was able to get the power back on.  We spent the day pretty much inside doing paperwork and chores since the weather was still threatening rain.  Later in the day the skies cleared enough that we rode our bikes on a bike trail along the lakeshore.  The wind had been gusty all through the night and day, and Lake Michigan looked angry with waves that made it appear to be more ocean than lake.

On Friday we drove to Waukegan and had lunch with Bill’s Aunt Emily.  Friday evening we had a lovely dinner and visit with Aunt Emily’s son, Gary and his family.  It was so good to see Gary and Carla and their son and grandsons.  Thanks Gary for preparing a delicious meal!

Saturday we rode the Metra into Chicago.

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Bill had been there before, but it was my first visit.  We were able to purchase a weekend pass for unlimited riding on the Metra for only $7.00. There was so much to choose from and we had only planned on spending two days in the city. We also purchased a 2 day pass for the Chicago Trolly and Double Decker bus which turned out to be a great decision since it was a great way to see all the city sites and got us to our chosen destinations without a lot of walking.  Most of the time we rode on top of the double decker open bus, and Chicago lived up to its name as a cold and windy city!  Among the many sites we saw while riding around the city included Millennium Park with “The Bean”, the Art Institute of Chicago, Buckingham Fountain, Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, and Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.

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33 foot artwork in Millennium Park, locally called “The Bean”, made of mirrored material so it reflects

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The reflections from The Bean were fascinating!

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Self portrait of Bill reflected in The Bean

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Famous for fabulous shopping

 

Our first stop was The Field Museum which was established in 1893 and ranks among the world’s foremost museums in natural science.  It houses over 25 million artifacts and specimens.  We saw the Hall of Gems, a fabulous exhibit on Ancient Egypt which was one of my favorite things there, a wonderful exhibit on Native American cultures, especially those of the Pacific, Northwest Coast and Arctic regions; a Hall of the Ancient Americas which included 13,000 years of human history focusing on the Incas and Aztecs.  There was also a Hall of Conservation called “Restoring Earth” and a DNA Discovery Center.  Bill’s favorite by far was the dinosaur exhibit, featuring Sue, the largest and most comprehensive T Rex ever discovered.  That evening we caught the Metra back to the station closest to our campground.  We were pretty exhausted but looking forward to returning the next day to Chicago.

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The Field Museum

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Real mummies

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From the Conservation exhibit hall

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A dinosaur named Sue….found in South Dakota….actually the age and sex is unknown, she is named Sue after the person who found her

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Hello, Sue!

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Sunday morning we once again caught the Metra in to Chicago with our first stop being Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower with its famous SkyDeck.  After going through security and waiting in line, we took the elevator up to the 103rd floor where we had a 180 degree view of 4 states and 50 miles.  The highlight of our visit was walking out on The Ledge, a 1.5 inch thick glass enclosed cube extending more than 4 feet, where you could look straight down.    It was like standing on air.  We are not afraid of heights, but we agreed it was a little hard to take that first step out into what appeared to be nothing but air 103 floors up.  A part of our brain told us it was safe and okay, we our eyes also was sending messages to our brain not to do it.  It was amazing!

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Gorgeous 180 degree views of Chicago…we were fortunate to have such a clear day

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Bill’s foot on the glass ledge, where you could look straight down 103 floors to the sidewalk

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Took more nerve than we expected

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A side view of the cube, or ledge

 

We caught the trolley outside the tower to head to the next destination.  On the way the tour bus took us on the south side of Chicago through the Hyde Park and Kenwood areas.  President Obama’s home is in Kenwood.  We also went by the home of Muhammed Ali.

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Sidewalk in front of the residence of President Obama, barricaded off and protected at all times by Secret Service

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Not possible to get a clear view of the house

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Home of Muhammed Ali

 

The tour bus let us out at our next stop, The Museum of Science and Technology, the largest science center in the Western Hemisphere, which includes more than 35,000 artifacts over 14 acres of displays and exhibits.  We saw 80 at 80, which showcased 80 amazing artifacts from the museum’s 80 years of existence.  The highlight of the museum for us was taking an onboard tour of a real U-505 submarine, the only German submarine captured in World War 2.  Unfortunately the museum closes early on Sundays so our visit was shorter than we had hoped and expected.

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My favorite astronaut

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Bill operated a telephone switchboard like this in the main office of his high school

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The specially made room to house the submarine which was floated here and lowered into this room….sub is on the right of the picture….impossible to grasp how big it really is. They had a time lapse movie showing the sub’s move from Lake Michigan into the museum.

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Forward torpedo room and also served as sleeping quarters. We were told that each bunk was rotated among three men as each got off duty, so they shared their dirt, fleas and sweat. Bunks were located throughout the ship

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Galley that prepared food for 59 men

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Radio room

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Twin diesel engines

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Rear cabin

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Enigma machine

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Front of the submarine showing a launched torpedo

 

 

 

September 15, 2013 Baraboo, Wisconsin

 

We awoke to the sound of rain, never a good thing to hear on moving day!  Luckily we were in no hurry since we had a short distance to travel that day.  By the time we were ready to leave, the rain had eased up.  We arrived at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful, biggest and most popular parks in the upper Midwest.  It has 500 foot bluffs that look out over a 360 acre lake.  The hiking ranges from easy trails to those that are very difficult.

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We were somewhat disappointed in our campsite.  The majority of the sites in the park are hilly and it was difficult to level the RV.  We changed sites and still did not have a site in which we could completely level the coach.  That rarely happens to us.  We had heard about the flies in Michigan before we left Florida in June.  We had been pleasantly surprised not to find the flies or mosquitoes to be much of a problem.  That changed once we arrived here.  The flies are horrible for some reason and we have to race in and out of the door to avoid them dashing inside.

One day we took a scenic drive through the park with 15 stops and a written commentary to follow.

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It wasn’t the most scenic drive we have found in our travels so far, but we did find some ancient native mounds dating back over 1,000 years.  These were done by a group of Native Americans called the Effigy Mound Builders.  Not much is known about this group of Native Americans but it is thought they used the mounds for burial grounds, festivals and special rites.  The name Devil’s Lake originally came from Native American names which translated to Spirit Lake, Holy Lake, Mystery Lake, or Sacred Lake.  It was the Winnebago tribe that gave it the name which when translated means Devil’s Lake.

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One mound is in the distance. Not as tall as we expected and easy to miss without the signs.

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The majority of the parks we enjoy were built many years ago by a wonderful group called the CCCs…Civilian Conservation Corps.  Devil’s Lake is no exception.  From 1934 to 1941, during the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps operated a work camp for 200 young men at Devil’s Lake.  Many of the trails, roads, picnic tables, signs, etc were thanks to them.

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In honor of the young men who helped build the park

 

Interesting tidbits about Devil’s Lake include the fact that the Ringling Brothers once owned a lakehouse here and elephants bathed in Devil’s Lake.  Ulysses S Grant and Abraham Lincoln’s wife also visited Devil’s Lake.

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Tuesday we drove 15 miles to Reedsburg to ride our bikes on the 400 Wisconsin Trail, a former railroad track that has been converted to a beautiful bike trail.  The trail opened in 1993 and was named after the Chicago-Northwestern passenger train that at one time traveled the 400 miles between Chicago and Minneapolis/St Paul in 400 minutes.  As we rode along the trail we had pastures with farmland and cattle on one side and the Baraboo River on the other.  We pretty much had the trail to ourselves and found 28 geocaches.

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A view of the bike path

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A very pretty mural on the side of a building near the entrance to the bike trail which commemorates the bike trail

 

 

September 11, 2013 Madison Wisconsin

We left Kettle Moraine outside of Milwaukee and drove to Lake Farm Park Campground, a county park outside of Madison, Wisconsin.  It was a nice park with electric only sites.  After setting up, my first order of business was finding a laundromat.  The closest one took me into downtown Madison, and I quickly discovered I loved this quaint university town, which also happened to be the state capitol.  As I drove into town the drive took me along the river with a beautiful view of the state capitol and riverwalk area.  The town reminded me very much of my own hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, which is also a university town.  There is just something charming about a university town!  Madison somehow manages to have a quaint, charming feel, even though it is a large city with almost a quarter of a million people. It is called The City of Four Lakes since it is in the middle of Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa.  It definitely had a different feel from Milwaukee which seemed much more industrial with freeways heavy with traffic, especially tractor trailers.  Our first evening we drove into Madison and had dinner at a restaurant near the capitol grounds called “The Old Fashioned”.  It was full of students and townsfolk celebrating the beginning of the weekend.  Bill noticed one of their specialities which was a hamburger with bacon and a fried egg on top.  He decided to try it and later declared it to be very good.  It reminded me of an item on the menu at a restaurant back home in Charlottesville called The White Spot near the grounds of the University of Virginia.  I had a BLT and the tomatoes were grown by local farmers and were delicious.  We enjoyed seeing the capitol building at dusk and went back and got another picture after we ate when the building was fully lighted at dark.

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While at the campground we decided to test out our new trekking poles and went for a 3 mile hike around one of the lakes at the campground.  It was a beautiful fall day…not too hot and not too cold.  We did have some cold nights while we were in Madison with the temperature reaching 40 degrees one night.  No worries since we have both a heat pump and a furnace in the RV.

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Madison continued to impress us while doing some shopping.  The Walmart near the campground had an underground parking garage.  You access the shopping area of the store by escalator or elevator.  When you have finished your shopping you put your cart full of purchases on a special buggy escalator which takes it down to the parking garage level.  This underground parking is especially nice in a cold climate like Wisconsin.  They don’t have to worry about plowing their parking lots and their customers never get rained or snowed on.  The check out person told us that employees were allowed to park in the garage during the winter which made it very nice for them as well.

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Not used to entering Walmart by elevator or escalator

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Bill putting our cart of groceries on the buggy escalator

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Buggy going down!

 

 

On our way out of Madison we stopped for gas at a station not too far from the campground and were surprised to see compressed natural gas pumps at the station.  The first ones we have ever seen!

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$1.99 per gallon

September 6, 2013 Racine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We would liked to have stayed longer in Hartford and checked with the rangers to see if we could extend our stay at Pike Kettle Moraine State Forest.  But, alas, there were no spots available for the weekend.  We decided to take our chances and venture closer to Milwaukee in search of a campsite for the weekend.  We lucked out and found a great spot in Cliffside Park in the small town of Racine, outside of Milwaukee.  We settled in for a 5 day stay, giving us plenty of time to explore Milwaukee.

On Sunday we drove down to Waukegan, Illinois to do to church with Bill’s Aunt Emily.  After church we all went to lunch and then Aunt Emily gave us a tour of Waukegan.  We certainly enjoyed our time with her!

Monday we ventured into Milwaukee to visit the Harley Davidson-Museum.  It is the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee during the Industrial Revolution.  They had on display in chronological progression the many motorcycles spanning 110 years, including the oldest Harley-Davidson in existence….Serial Number 1.  They had interactive displays of how engines work, and the company’s contribution to the war efforts of two World Wars.  We chuckled as we watched movie clips of Hollywood’s best motorcycle comments, and I had the thrill of sitting on my very first Harley!  And yes, we found a geocache right outside the entrance to the museum.

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Entranceway of museum

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Oldest Harley-Davidson in the world, Serial #1

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1945 World War 2

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Never knew there was a mail carrier motorcycle

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For my Virginia family and friends

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Rhinestone motorcycle

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My very own Evil Knievel

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Ready to roll….goodbye RV, hello world!

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My first time on a Harley

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Bill looks great on a motorcycle…think I will get him a black leather jacket and some boots for Christmas

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Let’s go!

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Statue in the small park outside the museum where we found a geocache

 

After the Harley museum we moved on to Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.  We were glad to see there was no home game so we were free to wander around and take pictures.  There is a TGIF restaurant inside the park, so we were able to sit in the restaurant and look out over the ball field, while watching the Redskin game on a TV!

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Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers

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The view of the field from a TGIF restaurant inside the park where we had dinner and watched the Redskins play on TV.

Tuesday we drove back into Milwaukee where Bill’s friend John gave us a personal tour of the Master Lock manufacturing factory where he works.  We learned all about the process of how key and combination locks are made.

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Our time in Milwaukee has certainly been hot with daytime highs in the low to mid 90’s.  We look forward to more fall like temperatures soon!

September 2, 2013 Hartford Wisconsin

Labor Day we traveled 2 hours south to the Pike Lake Kettle Moraine State Forest campground in Hartford, WI.  Another campground of electricity only, so we will have to be careful with our use of water and dump tanks for the next 4 days.  It is a beautiful, heavy forested campground, and we have a very nice level spot.

During our stay in Hartford we had a very nice dinner with Bill’s friend John and his wife Shari.  Bill and John enjoyed catching up on the 2013 Jamboree.